Melbourne for Kids got to experience a spectacular family activity this weekend. Mornington Railway is now running under Covid Safe operations every Sunday!
Mornington Railway
At the Mornington Railway you will experience the magic of train travel in a bygone era! The Mornington Railway is a heritage railway near Mornington, a town on the Mornington Peninsula, 1hr15m drive from the Melbourne CBD. Volunteers help preserving Victoria’s Railway Heritage for all Generations.
What is your name and kids ages?
My name is Crystal Stewart. My kids are 3.5 years old and 6.5 months old.
How would you describe this activity today?
It was a nice and pleasant round trip from Moorooduc to Mornington. We were greeted at the entrance and had to check in upon arrival. The volunteer station staff was kind showing us the toilets and kiosk where we can buy food and drinks before boarding the train.
It was a 20 minute ride to Mornington station, where we got off for about 10 minutes to wait for the guard to switch the diesel engine the other way round before heading back to Moorooduc.
The train rode at a pleasantly slow moving speed allowing us to appreciate its beautiful scenery view. The scenery comprises of beautiful greenery nature of farmland and bushes. We were also able to wave and smile at the residents living in the area as some stood by the tracks watching out for the train passing by. Occasionally we could hear the train horn as we we were travelling along.
The train we traveled is a heritage diesel train built in 1956. It has inbuilt individual cabins for families for privacy and it also has windows opened for us to look out. It was a comfortable and enjoyable ride.
There used to be a bus that picks up passengers from the station and drop them off at Mornington town for a quick bite before heading back to Moorooduc. Unfortunately, due to COVID, they were not able to continue that part of the service. The ride back from Mornington to Moorooduc was another 20 minutes. As we stepped off the train, the volunteers waved us goodbye and wished us the best for year 2021.
The Railway volunteers are very friendly and enjoy taking families on a magical journey!
How excited did you and your family feel about this activity?
My kids and I were very much looking forward to this event as the train reminds us of the train in the “Polar Express” movie so we could relate the whole experience to that.
What was the best part of the event for you and your child?
The best part of the event was seeing how the driver changed the diesel engine from back to front so that we could head back to Moorooduc station.
To what extent would you agree with the following: This event was awesome?
The kids and I thoroughly enjoyed the train ride. We kept talking about the whole ride experience as we make our way back home. We will definitely recommend this place and will plan to come back for another ride.
It was absolutely awesome.